The Census asks questions about language use at home to locate groups of people who speak a language other than English. Their isolation or integration into a primarily English speaking community can be determined by their ability to speak English proficiently.
| Language Spoken at Home, 1990-2000 | ||||
| 1990 | 2000 | |||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| Only English | 11,678 | 96.66% | 12,464 | 95.58% |
| Spanish | 126 | 1.04% | 304 | 2.33% |
| Other Indo-European* | 244 | 2.02% | 237 | 1.82% |
| Asian Language** | 25 | 0.21% | 26 | 0.20% |
| Other | 9 | 0.07% | 10 | 0.08% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 12,082 | 100.00% | 13,041 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 178 | 58.55% |
| Other Indo-European* | 67 | 28.27% |
| Asian Language** | 9 | 34.62% |
| Other Language | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total | 254 | 1.95% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 102 | 80.95% |
| Other Indo-European* | 75 | 30.74% |
| Asian Language** | 12 | 48.00% |
| Other Language | 0 | - |
| Total | 189 | 1.56% |
* "Other Indo-European" excludes English and Spanish. "Indo-European" is not synonymous with "European." French, German, Hindi, and Persian are all classified as Indo-European. Hungarian, on the other hand, is lumped into "Other Language."
** "Asian Language" includes languages indigenous to Asia and Pacific islands areas that are not also Indo-European languages. Chinese, Japanese, Telugu, and Hawaiian are all classified here.
Also note that ability to speak English "very well" is based on the self-assessment of those responding to Census questions, not on a test of language ability.
Source: Census 2000 analyzed by the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN).
Home | About | Help | Contact | Use Policy